Pak Navy Capable of Deploying Strategic Weapons At Sea

The Pakistan Navy has claimed that it is capable of deploying strategic weapons at sea if and when the government makes a decision to do so.

The government had so far not decided to deploy strategic weapons at sea, Chief of Staff Vice-Admiral Asif Humayun said while speaking at a workshop organised in the southern port city of Karachi on Tuesday.

Humayun told participants in the workshop, the navy is "fully capable" of deploying strategic weapons at sea if the government made such a decision.

He did not give details about how the strategic or nuclear weapons would be deployed and neither disclosed whether Pakistan has developed a capability to launch missiles from submarines.

In the context of the changing complexion of the war on terror, the Pakistan Navy has to do more to ensure a secure environment, he said.

The navy's role in the region was discussed in the context of its capability to protect Pakistan's territorial integrity and keep sea lanes safe from terrorists and non-state actors in the region.

Humayun said the navy should be provided more warships and submarines to augment the country's defence capabilities and meet regional maritime needs.

The navy's annual budget of Rs 27.5 billion was the lowest of the three services as the budgets of the Pakistan Air Force and Pakistan Army are Rs 71 billion and Rs 141 billion, respectively.

Another senior officer, Commodore Tahseenullah Khan, said the Pakistan Navy had formally communicated to the government its requirements for acquiring new submarines and it was up to the government to finalise a deal.

The deal for new submarines would include transfer of technology, similar to the deal for three Agosta-class French submarines.

The participants of the workshop were informed that the navy is trying to acquire long-range maritime patrol aircraft and drones as an alternative to the ageing French Atlantique reconnaissance aircraft.

The navy is also acquiring seven P3C Orion surveillance aircraft from the US.